Digital TV receivers

BT Vision V-Box

BT joins the pay-per-view revolution

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Last reviewed: March 3rd

The controls on the front of the V-Box are pleasantly understated

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The idea of a digital recorder that merges Freeview reception with online content is both innovative and inevitable. Having IPTV on tap alongside DVB is the natural evolution of digital TV, and to finally get to grips with such a product is truly exciting.

That BT should beat arch rival Sky to the punch with such a product is interesting, too. Sky has carved its name as an innovator in broadcast technology while BT... hasn't.

BT Vision is basically a Freeview PVR with a 160GB hard drive and online capability. Although the box is free, there are caveats. It's only available to BT Total Broadband customers and can only be fitted by a BT engineer, at a cost of £90 (an installation fee of £60 and a connection charge of £30).

Naturally, while Freeview content is gratis, the IPTV component is charged on a pay-per-view basis. Expect to pay around a couple of quid to watch shows and movies from the VOD (video on demand) menu.

A bit of hubbub

BT insists that the BT Vision box is used with its HomeHub Wi-Fi router. This stipulation caused me a little consternation, as, although a BT customer, I would rather dig my eyes out with a fork than use the HomeHub. A more unreliable router doesn't exist.

Having gone through two and ranted at the way it would toss my internet connection out of the window on a whim, I junked the 'Hub for an earlier Voyager 2091 Wi-Fi modem, again BT-specific, and found peace of mind (and a stress-free connection).

But as part of the deal, BT insists on connecting the V-box directly to the HomeHub. So out of retirement it came and the BT engineer duly came and hooked it up.

The unit (manufactured by Thomson) is reasonably well made. Slim and compact, it has system controls on the fascia and a flap revealing a card slot and (currently non-functioning) USB 2.0 slots.

Backside AV connectivity comprises HDMI v1.1 (even though the unit is currently SD only), two Scarts, optical digital audio, stereo phonos, S-video and aerial loop through. In addition there's a phone line input, inactive USB slots and an Ethernet jack.

The remote handset is a bit of a handful because it's shaped like a TGI potato wedge, but it's finished so well you'll enjoy wielding it. It also flickers blue when used. Cool.